Yahoo sues Facebook over patent infringements

Back in February, we reported that Yahoo was attempting to get Facebook to pay them licensing fees for allegedly using their technology. It looks like whatever talks that was held between both the tech giants did not reach a mutual understanding, and now Yahoo has decided to step it up and sue Facebook for allegedly infringing upon 10 patents that have been tied to various web technologies.

The patents concerned were issued from 1999 to 2010, and cover a variety of web technologies such as advertising, privacy, customization, social networking and messaging. According to Yahoo:

“Yahoo has invested substantial resources in research and development through the years, which has resulted in numerous patented inventions of technology that other companies have licensed […] Unfortunately, the matter with Facebook remains unresolved and we are compelled to seek redress in federal court. We are confident that we will prevail.”

In response to the lawsuit, Facebook issued a statement of their own:

“We’re disappointed that Yahoo, a longtime business partner of Facebook and a company that has substantially benefited from its association with Facebook, has decided to resort to litigation. Once again, we learned of Yahoo’s decision simultaneously with the media. We will defend ourselves vigorously against these puzzling actions.”

Yahoo is currently seeking an unspecified amount of damages, and for more information regarding the lawsuit (and if you’re up for flipping through pages of legalese), head on over to Scribd for the details.